Broken glasses and Tupperware Raves

I finally attacked those stains on my trenchcoat and can happily report my total success. Olive oil soap, my friends. It is my Go To stain remover. I used to always buy it at the Parapharmacie in a pack of four bars and it was perfect. I would even take it back to the States for an extra special treat for my mom and sister, who have also been totally won over by it. But I am practically out and they don't sell it any more at this shop. I've been looking around but can't seem to find a plain bar of olive oil soap with no fancy packaging or essential oil or colorings added. Just plain ole soap. If anyone knows where I can get some, please let me know. Ella's staining abilities have ramped up over the last few weeks and the situation is getting pretty dire.

Of course, the stain removal was such a breeze something else had to go wrong. While I was trying to get the extra water out of the fabric, I was having a problem keeping it all in the sink and I didn't notice behind all the fabric on the counter were two champagne glasses, where B put them last night after washing them out. I pulled the coat over and managed to knock the glasses, causing them to shatter over the floor. (insert giant sigh, while I count backwards from 10, to keep myself from screaming in frustration and stamping my feet. Who's the toddler in this house, again? ) You know, some days, when you feel like you just can't win. For everything that goes right, you have two things that go wrong? Please don't let that be today. Its bad enough having broken these glasses. Naturally, its our wedding crystal and I just love them so we use them all the time. No one told me originally that you shouldn't put crystal in your dishwasher so I did and it all became horribly brittle, the stems started snapping off if you so much as breathed on them. So we were down to about 2 wine glasses and 4 water glasses when I was strolling through Printemps one day and saw them on sale. I stopped to have a look and remarked that they were never on sale so it was my lucky day and the vendeuse told me that they were being discontinued, hence the store was clearing out their stock. Atleast I had enough foresight to buy up all that they had left plus everything at Galerie Lafayette. But since then, I've had no luck finding replacements. And so my precious stock dwindles away, between drunken dinner guests and overly exuberant laundry washing. I suppose I would have the pleasure of using the glasses on a regular basis and have to put up with a mismatched table rather than occasionally peaking in the cupboard at them gleaming in well-ordered ranks (although that has also counted among my guilty pleasures. I love the nice orderly lines, sparkling dully on their shelves. My inner-Martha glows with housewifely pride). But this is one the reasons that I need a job and my own money. B can understand that I need to clothe myself, and cut my hair, and go out with my girlfriends and will happily overlook those expenses. But when I try to explain the need to have a matched set of crystal for 12 place settings he is suddenly baffled. Well, I suppose if he did understand, I might have a different set of worries...

So today I have a lovely task ahead of me- interviews with new babysitters. I put up an ad and have gotten some really good responses. I do like the girl who babysits for us normally but she has suddenly discovered boys or something and is perpetually busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Good for her, bad for me. But just as I suspected, there are loads of American college girls in Paris who would happily give up one or two evenings a week in order to have a bit more spending money for the other 5 nights a week when Paris's glittering lights are calling. Cannot wait for my own social life to get back on track. And for starters, I have been invited to a Tupperware Rave this evening. Cannot possibly imagine what that will entail, but rest assured, I'll make a full report tomorrow.